The Duo with Neal Purchase Jr

Neal Purchase Jr

[00:00:00]

Tyler Breuer: Hello and welcome to the Swell Season Surf Podcast. I'm [00:01:00] your host, Tyler Brewer, and joining me today is occasional co-host and board builder extraordinaire, Paul Culbert of Chop Wood Surfboards. We have a very special episode lined up, but let's rewind to 1992. I was a 12-year-old grommet at the Kasowitz Surf Camp in San Clemente, and one day we took a trip into the legendary Rip Curl shop and I dove headfirst into their rack of surf films.

I walked out with two VHS tapes, momentum and Billabongs In the Wind. That night back at the Camp Pendleton Campgrounds, we huddled around a tiny TV and popped on in the wind. One segment completely hypnotized me, a long-haired blonde goofy foot pulling into one perfectly shaped indoor barrel after another set to the hauntingly mellow sounds of concrete blondes.

True that surfer was [00:02:00] Neil Purchase Jr. Neil's backside tube riding was unlike anything I'd seen. Pig dogging with surgical precision molding his body to fit whatever the wave threw at him, round and boxy tight and almondy. The foam ball riding was edited in Slowmo, letting us really study his approach, and it lit a fire in goofy foots everywhere.

While Neil never chased competitive glory, his free surfing defined a generation and earned him a place in surf cinema throughout the nineties. But Neil's story does a net stop there. Surfing has always been part of his bloodline. His father Neil purchase Senior is a legendary Aussie shaper and one of the pioneers of the Shortboard Revolution in the late sixties.

The deep shaping lineage runs through Neil Purchase Jr as well. After years of surfing and dabbling in the art and design, including a stint [00:03:00] screen printing for Billabong as a grom. Neil eventually came full circle taking over the family shaping legacy today, his boards reflect that fusion of past and present blending the soul of traditional single fins and twin fins with modern lines and innovation.

He's especially known for his signature duo Fins set up two straight single fins spaced wide apart, combining the drive of a single fin with the speed and release of a twin. And right now Neil is wrapping up a shaping residency at Pilgrim Surfing Supply here in New York, which brings us to this episode.

I am way beyond stoked to have him join us on the Swell Season podcast. Neil, welcome to the show, mate. How you going? Hi,

Neal Purchase Jr: Tyler. Hey. Hey Paul. How are you? Oh, that's it. You, you said it all mate. I can go

Tyler Breuer: Yeah, yeah, no. Need

Paul Colbert: that was a, that's a wrap. That was quick.

Neal Purchase Jr: That's wrap. We got a chicken wrap.

Paul Colbert: um,

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah, so, [00:04:00] um, no, that was awesome mate. I haven't thought about that movie for ages. And that was, um, one of the first trips I, I went on, actually I was probably 17 or 18 or whatever, and, um, Peter Kirk house was filming on eight, eight millimeter film.

PK was a champ. He, um, he got me pumped on Neil Young and stuff. I was listening to like Hoo do Gurus and The Cure and all that sort of stuff.

Tyler Breuer: All good choices, by the way. Lil Ganga. Jang

Neal Purchase Jr: Ganga, Jang and all that. And then, yeah, he, he got me on there and sort of went down that path, the, the, the country rock kind of path.

But, um, yeah, it was, that was a, a great trip. So yeah, it was fantastic.

Tyler Breuer: mean, Paul, have you seen that, that

Paul Colbert: I have not seen that one. I

Tyler Breuer: will send you a link. It's,

Paul Colbert: sounds necessary,

Tyler Breuer: dude. It's like, I assume it's at Periscopes

Neal Purchase Jr: It is at Periscopes early days, there wasn't much there.

Tyler Breuer: God, that must been mental.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. Actually there was, it was like [00:05:00] pretty Pavo actually. It was, uh, yeah, just like a, a little bamboo heart with some tiled floors and a, and a hot shower. Like a cold shower actually.

Tyler Breuer: As it should be though. Yeah, as it should be. It should not be luxury. We should be, yeah. If you're gonna surf waves like that, you gotta earn it.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. That was, that was

Paul Colbert: see luxury so much these days on, on surf trips and it's, I feel like you lose something when it's that easy, right? Like it's, and, and it's, it's such a shift from it.

It's not even that long in, in terms of years where it went from. You are having a real adventure to maybe get waves or maybe not to like, oh, I'm gonna go get a massage in between sessions now. And it's just like, what a different world it is. I feel like something's lost for sure. Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: for sure. Yeah. It's, uh, yeah, that, that was pretty wild. I actually had rats ate my money on

Paul Colbert: good did that money taste though? Did you [00:06:00] try it

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. I had to, I was like, um, you know, they ate the corners off some of the notes and stuff and so I put sticky tape on and a bit of texture and color to try and get them past and put 'em in the middle of some other notes.

But, uh, yeah, things were tight back then, but it was, it was a great trip and yeah. I don't mind the odd massage these days though.

Paul Colbert: right. Yeah. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm just saying it's different.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: the question is like, is it still a $5 massage at the Cuda Bogar in

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. Yeah. Times 10, I think. Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: But let me ask you then, like, so year, year 17, like you were, like at that time you were working like at Billabong doing like some design and and screen printing. Is that

Neal Purchase Jr: Yep, yep. Um, it was actually around, um, I was working at print and wear at that time. I left school in grade 11, so it goes to grade 12 in Australia. Mm-hmm. And, um, I'd been away a little bit. [00:07:00] Um, I went to Japan with my dad on a shaping trip. And, um, yeah, the, the, the teachers basically said, look, you've been away.

Don't, you know, you're not gonna pass your exam. So I, I was good at maths and, and geography and that I, you know, I wasn't a dumbo or anything, but I, I preferred surfing and, um, so I was, I was more into graphic design and, and art and all that sort of stuff. So I got a, an apprenticeship with, um, print and wear, which is in Currumbin mm-hmm.

And worked in the art room there, doing screen printing and, and um, bromides and all that sort of stuff. All hand cut together, you know, working with film and all that sort of stuff. And then Jamie Sag was in the art room doing bad billies and all

Tyler Breuer: Yeah.

Paul Colbert: nice.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. So he is a

Tyler Breuer: by the way, phenomenal surfer in his

Neal Purchase Jr: great surfer, great, great friend of mine, one of my best mates.

So, um, yeah. So I fell into, he was away [00:08:00] competing in Europe, trying to have a go at the tour. And he went terrible. So he was only there for a month or something and he's like, that's it. I, I've had enough. But, uh, yeah, so I got in there while he is away, um, after being at print and wear for a year and, um, started doing fabric prints and stuff, working with Gordon Merchant directly.

So

Tyler Breuer: What really?

Neal Purchase Jr: awesome. Yeah, it was good. What was

Tyler Breuer: like? You must, holy shit. Like as a 16, 17-year-old grom,

Neal Purchase Jr: Yep. Yep.

Tyler Breuer: that's quite an

Neal Purchase Jr: It was. And yeah, I kind of, kind of got my break there a little bit 'cause um. Well, getting into the art room, doing all that, you know, just being creative. It was, it was pretty relaxed back then.

So he, Gordon was just like, you know, I know what it's like being an artist. You know, you can't be on all the time. Just do what you can. And he was like, no. Okay, no worries. But, uh, yeah, um, yeah, he got a few fabric prints, a couple of nice, uh, I did a, like a print with like roses on it [00:09:00] and sort of letters and yeah, I was doing all sorts of stuff and then traveling a little bit.

But, uh, all the guys like Munger and Aki and uh, Luke Keegan and all the crew were away on tour and surfing one foot waves and I was sort of in the art room and surfing debar, pumping debar and getting heaps of photos. And they had all these slots for like Surfing Life Magazine that they had to fill.

Yeah. You know, there's probably seven, you know, six magazines or whatever they had to fill with their slot each month. So. I started getting those slots 'cause there was no other photos of anyone around.

Tyler Breuer: all surfing shit waves

Neal Purchase Jr: pretty much. So. That's amazing.

Paul Colbert: That's amazing.

Neal Purchase Jr: and that was, yeah, in the wind was around that time, you know, a little bit later on I was probably maybe 18 going on 19.

I guess I'm really bad with dates and names and,

Tyler Breuer: well, well, let me ask like, like, I mean, were you, did you, were you riding for Billabong before you started working in, you know, the screen print? Okay. I was like curious like how that [00:10:00] connection came about and then like, and you were, you did amateur competition. Yeah, but this, this trip must have been like crazy when you got asked for it.

Like to go on it.

Neal Purchase Jr: Oh, that, I actually won a contest at Duram, a junior contest. And the, the winning prize was a trip to Gland

Paul Colbert: Oh,

Neal Purchase Jr: For. For this. That's a different trip actually. But yeah, that I won a trip to Gland with all the crew, mga, aki, and that was Aki and black and white. You know that movie? The Pump or Pump?

Tyler Breuer: Uh, well, no. The black and white, like him and gland,

Neal Purchase Jr: at Gland. He had one board. He turned up with one board with three

Paul Colbert: What year? What year was this about?

Neal Purchase Jr: Huh? That's Filthy Habits. What's that? Paul?

Paul Colbert: What year was this? Roundabout. What'd you say?

Neal Purchase Jr: like 89 or something

Tyler Breuer: I feel like either it's filthy Habits or pump one of the two

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, I can't remember which one it is.

Tyler Breuer: Yeah, but

Neal Purchase Jr: I haven't played those for so long, but that's, but yeah, no, I'd, I kind [00:11:00] of, yeah, and dad, I mean, dad knew, um, Gordon really well, and it's probably got a few inroads there with the old Sea

Tyler Breuer: Aw, fucking nepo baby here.

Paul Colbert: Yeah. So let me just pause and rewind to recap. Um, you're what, like 17 years old and you're like, uh, I'm thinking about going back to school to finish and your teachers are like me. That's all right. So you can hang out with your dad and surf. Yeah. Epic waves all day while the rest of your friends are studying for exams.

Neal Purchase Jr: well, it wasn't exact. Yeah, I, I got straight into that job pretty quick, but I, I, it was kind of like they gave me the ticket if I was going on a surf trip, but when I was at home, I was, yeah, working in the, in the factory, you know, screen

Paul Colbert: And did you work alongside other, uh, like younger your age who were also writing for Billabong, or were you

Tyler Breuer: Are you, are you trying to make a case that Billabong used child slave labor?[00:12:00]

Paul Colbert: well

Neal Purchase Jr: was print where? At the start, but then, yeah, up in the art room about a year later was, um, yeah, that was Billabong. So. But they had girls, um, some ladies, you know, um, probably 30 or 40 ladies, um, sewing up all the threads and everything out the back and the screen printers, a couple of IES running the Shane and, and, and the boys running the screen

Paul Colbert: yeah,

Neal Purchase Jr: Staff. So it was all like all there, which was so good and, and a lot of Australian cotton, you know. So it was a real Australian made

Paul Colbert: it was like a, A cottage industry basically. Yeah, basically. Yeah. Wow, that's awesome.

Neal Purchase Jr: Um,

Paul Colbert: What.

Neal Purchase Jr: it was, uh, that's when, you know, you'd hang on to, I mean, I had pairs of board shorts that lasted four or five

Paul Colbert: Yeah, I bet.

Neal Purchase Jr: him, you know, triple

Paul Colbert: Like heavy worn four or five years, like Yeah. Yeah. Like every day. Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: And you had to get the full on thigh rash to really break it in,

Neal Purchase Jr: The old triple stitch, thigh rash,

Paul Colbert: the triple stitch callous,

Tyler Breuer: Yeah.[00:13:00]

Neal Purchase Jr: I got a line going up the inside of my leg. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. So, no, that's it. Fall.

Tyler Breuer: you, do you remember like. I don't know about, I mean, maybe, maybe in my remote, you know, like growing up here in New York, surfing and we're like, we're, we're fully detached from the industry. And so everything at that time when we saw videos or whatever, like seemed bigger to us. Oh yeah. And I'm curious, like after that movie came out, do you feel like you started to get more momentum and more recognition for your surfing?

'cause to me, like that was like a coming out party for, for, for you in terms of announcing yourself to the surf world. And I know every, every goofy foot that I grew up surfing with, we all looked at that and was like, yeah, that's how you backside too broad. Yeah. And, and the floaters too, mind you.

Neal Purchase Jr: Ah, the floaters, the knee buckling, floaters. Um, but yeah. Um, and I was pretty lucky. I didn't really have a huge [00:14:00] insight or plan or anything. I was just really wanted to be creative and surf and, and sort of try and find a path in society that wasn't a full grind, nine to five grind, you know?

Um, but, and my old man was like, don't get into shaping. It's terrible. There's no money in it. It's, uh, it's a shit job. Um, very competitive, you know? But, um, yeah.

Tyler Breuer: did, uh, I mean then, like you, when did you decide competition was not for you then? Because you, you were on that path. Yeah. You know, and like, was there a moment when you like, fuck this shit? I was

Neal Purchase Jr: a fleeting moment. I still remember it. I was kind, I've never really been that competitive and Jamie and I used to surf a lot and we'd be like first and second in juniors and opens like it was kind of us two winning the contest, but we, we'd be like, no, you go that wave. That looks like a good one, mate.

Oh, how was that Sick turn? You did, you [00:15:00] blew the fins out the back of that one, you know, like it wasn't like sleeping together. Yeah, that's all it's ever been for me. And I did get slightly competitive for a while and I came in from a heat once and I was just so frustrated and threw my board down and kick my fin out or something.

And, and my, my girlfriend was on the beach and she's like, yeah. You're an idiot. What are you doing that for? Like, it's a, she's my wife now, but, uh, yeah, and, and, um,

Tyler Breuer: Still calling you an

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, pretty much So, um, yeah, it was like a realization of, it's just not me. You know, I'm, I'm sort of competitive with myself.

I want to be the best I can, but it's just not non-competitive with other humans, you know?

Paul Colbert: yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: sort of, um, the way I went.

Paul Colbert: hard when you take something that, uh, is your source of fun. Yeah. And turn it into something that you then have to do and have to like, be [00:16:00] competitive at it. It really sucks the fun out of it in a lot of ways where it's just like, let me keep this just for fun.

Neal Purchase Jr: I know. Yeah, exactly. And I mean, you could get all Spiro on it and this and that, and it's not a sport and it's, uh, an activity and, but, uh, you know, you go

Tyler Breuer: To quote Nat Young. Yeah,

Neal Purchase Jr: the, the, the total ends of the spectrum are pr are radical and then, I don't know where I am somewhere maybe to the right a little bit, but

Tyler Breuer: Are you, are, are you trying to say like you're, you're like a conservative surfer

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, that's it.

Tyler Breuer: or, um,

Neal Purchase Jr: I'm a Democrat.

Tyler Breuer: or,

Neal Purchase Jr: Um, but,

Tyler Breuer: or, or, I like to call, I like to separate surfers into fundamentalist surfers who are like real rigid about their rules and

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, yeah. No, geez. Yeah. Not me. um, yeah, no, we all find, you know, and it's just nice to be able [00:17:00] to find that within yourself without being pushed into anything. So it's a. It is a personal journey, you know, so you find your own balance with work and, you know, time off and what whatever you gotta

Paul Colbert: Yeah. That's one of the things I wanted to ask you about, because it seems like you have managed to really strike a very good work life fun balance. Mm. Like what's, what's the secret? Like what, what's your, what's your day to day

Neal Purchase Jr: Um, how do

Paul Colbert: have time for everything?

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. It's a, a, wow, that's a loaded question. That one.

Tyler Breuer: Um.

Neal Purchase Jr: I've been lucky enough, um, I've been paid to surf a little bit, you know, but I'd always supplemented with work and always had work involved, like, you know, graphic design and then shaping and, and had to go off and do all sorts of other things, uh, landscaping and, and what have you, just to make ends meet.

So we've lived a pretty humble existence. Yeah, [00:18:00] definitely. So, um, I

Tyler Breuer: I wanted to talk to you about your gardening skills and

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah. Yeah. The green thumb and that's it. Uh, I'm, yeah, I'm not, you know, yeah, I do what you gotta do, but I like grandma and stuff, you know? Do you know where it comes from? Hasn't been sprayed with all sorts of funk. There's, there's, there's no,

Tyler Breuer: don't like funk on your stuff?

Neal Purchase Jr: None from Bill Gates. Thank you.

Tyler Breuer: Do you, do you, are you feeling, being in the us like, do you feel your toxicity level going up while being here?

Neal Purchase Jr: Oh, I was, I had got totally microwaved in the tin can on, on the way over here. It took me like, my eyes were bulging and my, all my joints started aching again. And,

Paul Colbert: What did you say? It was like a 28 hour?

Neal Purchase Jr: it was all together. It was like, yeah, 28 hours

Tyler Breuer: oh,

Neal Purchase Jr: with a four hour layover in Sydney.

But, um, yeah, straight

Paul Colbert: off the plane to 95 degrees in humid and,

Neal Purchase Jr: exactly. So, um, yeah, as I'm, you know, we're in our fif [00:19:00] well I'm in my fifties now, and yeah, you gotta sort of think about these things a little bit more, so, yeah. Um, yeah. You know, it's a little bit, I've always sort of been into, you know, supplements and trying to be healthy, you know, but you sort of, you're a little bit sort of invincible when you're a kid, you know?

Yeah.

Paul Colbert: Yeah. Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: back

Paul Colbert: There's definitely an age where all of a sudden you realize you're not, and it's a crushing realization.

Neal Purchase Jr: you don't bounce off the bottom like it used to.

Paul Colbert: No. You're like, Ooh, this might, this might take a week

Tyler Breuer: It's like planter's fasciitis in the feet. I've got, you know, like, oh my god, so many aches and pains now and just gotta stretch all the time. And you gotta, you know, like the other day I had like a, like five hours surf and I was spent, and I remember as a grom like that, would, you'd think nothing of that,

Paul Colbert: More

Tyler Breuer: no.

Now I'm like, I'm gonna take the next few days off. Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: [00:20:00] Yeah. What, what do you get sore? Like your knees or your hips or,

Tyler Breuer: now my, I have what's called plantars fasciitis in my feet, on the bottom of my feet. And it's probably a combination of things. One being probably a little, little bit heavier set. I'm not, not fat, but you know, I'm bigger

Neal Purchase Jr: Bone

Paul Colbert: I,

Tyler Breuer: I'm a, I'm a full

Neal Purchase Jr: can't see everything. You're hidden behind a

Tyler Breuer: Oh know. Right, right. I'm a full figured guy. It's all up in the chest. It's all muscle. But, um, but like, that hurts, um, little bit on the inside. MCL type of action once in a while. Backs every shoulders, you know, little things like, it's not like awful, but it's just like you wake up some days after surfing a long period and you're just like, Ooh.

Neal Purchase Jr: what about you Paul? You you got a, oh

Paul Colbert: I got like the three stooges of health issues going on.

Tyler Breuer: he's got his heart, he's got a, I

Paul Colbert: got a, uh, I've got an uh, an aneurysm in my aorta. And so I have to keep [00:21:00] my heart rate under a certain level. Shit. I, and then I've got no cartilage left in my hip sockets. Oh. So it's a double whammy for surfing, like keeping your heart rate down and then, you know, general mobility.

Tyler Breuer: not to mention male pattern baldness. I

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah.

Paul Colbert: Lots of sunscreen. You gotta

Tyler Breuer: wear the John John hoodie. Rash guards, you know.

Paul Colbert: Oh, yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: Classic. But

Paul Colbert: I'll tell you, I, I lost all that cartilage in my hips over the course of a life of rough and tumble and a lot of good waves. So I feel like if, if you're gonna lose it one way, I lost it the right way.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. Shit. I, I did it well.

Paul Colbert: Yeah, exactly. I kind,

Neal Purchase Jr: No, I, I kind of gather that too. I'm getting sore in the knees and the hips, but just, just trying to manage that, just slowly, you know, just getting into a couple of frog stretches

Paul Colbert: yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: You know, hip poses,

Tyler Breuer: well, I mean, you're, you're too, you're, you know, like we, I feel like we need to discuss your backside tube riding skills because it's, it [00:22:00] was like kind of revolutionary. I think, uh, you know, you have this like lean forward approach where you can fit almost like any angle, like listeners, like I encourage you to watch older footage of, of Neil, 'cause it's like nobody does to Brody like him, and like,

Paul Colbert: like an octopus that can occupy the space available perfectly. You know, it's like, yeah,

Tyler Breuer: Serious, like, like dragging your back leg for stalling as well and your knees and stuff. Like, it's crazy. Like, I'm curious like where that's, that developed and like when you, when did you feel like your backside too, Brian was clicking and, and you were kind of like developing this style or, or technique if you will.

Neal Purchase Jr: Uh, yeah, there was a couple of times I, I think I've mentioned this before, but at, um, one afternoon after school, I've sort of just really clicked in. There wasn't many guys out, Kira. I mean, just growing up in hollow right hand point breaks, you know, you gotta adapt. You [00:23:00] either get hit in the head by the lip or you, or you get tubed.

So, um, I guess I just adapted to that. Um, but I did see some stuff of Marvin Foster. He was the first guy to grab the rail. Um, lots of guys, chappy Jennings were doing lay backs and he had that forward. Yes, you, you know, crazy, crazy pig dog. So it wasn't a pig dog. But yeah, so I dunno, I just sort of, I didn't, again, I didn't really think about it that much, but it just happened.

But, uh, it de, it definitely became like a, um, it was a practical, um, circumstance, you know, grabbing the rail, leaning into the wave, and then you can really sort of, you know, get into like a little hairy rock spider in the corner of a room kind of vibe and just yeah, sort of lay into that wall. You know, I see a lot of, um, goofy footers that, uh, learning or, well, they're really good surfers, but they, when they.

Tube ride, they're sort of leaning over the, their outside rail or on their board and they're just getting hit, or they're lucky to make a [00:24:00] wave. So yeah, leaning into that, pulling that outside rail up is definitely, and, and, you know, having good knees that it's getting a bit harder for me now, but

Tyler Breuer: As tubes need to be a little wider and bigger. Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: I'm starting to, yeah. Get crouched, crouched down, you know, but

Paul Colbert: Popping, like a glow stick on your way down.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, exactly right. I've only just started cracking in my knees.

Tyler Breuer: really.

Paul Colbert: Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: I've got the crack when I do. Yeah,

Paul Colbert: like, you had a decade on everybody else, basically.

Neal Purchase Jr: right? Oh gosh, yeah. But, um, no, it's just, yeah, for, for me it was, I, I just got a, a, you know, lots of time in the water, you know, getting it sorted, I guess.

There was lots of other guys, you know, there was chy at the time and, um, there was, yeah, chappy and. Um, but yeah, we sort of ran with it for a while and, um, Kira, Kira was flawless through the nineties, so Yeah. Um, yeah, we, we got [00:25:00] a really good chance to have a good go at it, so,

Paul Colbert: yeah, it seemed like a real golden zone before. I mean, the wave is still there, but not like it used to be. Right?

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, it's a lot straighter. Yeah. The, the, the outside groins still are shorter than what it was, and, um, it's,

Tyler Breuer: double up like it used to as much, you know? No,

Neal Purchase Jr: No. Um, but yeah, you, you know, you just live and adapt and, and get on with it and sort of deal with what you got and without getting all soy about it, but, uh,

Paul Colbert: There you go.

Tyler Breuer: Or, or,

Paul Colbert: the good old days while you're in 'em. Right.

Neal Purchase Jr: But I, I couldn't get a set wave out Kiran for, I probably surfed for that wave for, gosh, I don't know how many years, 5, 6, 7 years before the, the local guys let me have a set wave, you know? So, um, yeah, you gotta pay your dues and, and have, and then you learn respect and um, that's something that's,

Tyler Breuer: now, now, now you and Yeah. But now, now you just gotta be rich and be able to pay Mick Fanning or dingo to, to tow you in

Neal Purchase Jr: you in. [00:26:00] Yeah,

Tyler Breuer: You don't even have to be, you don't even have to be enabled to surf, it seems. Yeah,

Neal Purchase Jr: no, exactly right. Um, yeah, it's all different there now. I can't even surf the place now. It

Tyler Breuer: Oh, that's why you moved to Lennox, right? Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: exactly. Shh. Like that's,

Tyler Breuer: I I wanna ask though then, like you, it's like you were saying, like you, you kind of, you Margot Aki like kind of pioneered this free surfer career in a sense. Did you, was that something that like you thought, oh, I can do this, I can make a living as a pro surfer at that point, or I, you were saying you always supplemented it, but it it, yeah.

It did feel like you guys were the ones, at least for Billabong doing that.

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah, Billabong, what was I, you know, if you want to talk figures, it wasn't much, but yeah, so I did have to work and supplement it, but we had like a, um, like a travel budget, which was great. [00:27:00] So we got to Hawaii. Uh, but yeah, it was, um, it was for Margot probably got paid really well. Aki obviously. Yeah. Um, but then he went back on tour and won a world title and,

Tyler Breuer: um, but.

Neal Purchase Jr: but yeah, definitely Margo sort of went full-time, just paid free surfer.

I was sort of dabbled in it a little bit. It was never actually, I got, um, after Billabong, I got paid

Tyler Breuer: Hot tuna. Right?

Neal Purchase Jr: tuna. Right. Hot tuna for about three, three or four years. Three

Tyler Breuer: you Were lucky though you missed the, the nipple piercing, uh, ad, at least. Right. So you didn't have to do that.

Neal Purchase Jr: I just had

Paul Colbert: earn your pay on that one.

Neal Purchase Jr: I, I just had to get naked and get covered in feathers instead. But yeah, they were crazy guys. It was crazy times. Pretty, you know, lots of beers and, um, yeah, those, those ads were cool with, uh, Graham Sheer kind of famous photographer from that, [00:28:00] from that time working with Al McPherson and all that. And it was kind of, it was real sort of hanging in Oxford Street in Sydney.

It's just so far removed from where we're at. And it's a little bit like here, I guess so, yeah. Um, yeah. But it was all kind of fashionist stuff. Kind of crazy, reckless, maddening, fashionist stuff. Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: I just remember like you being on Billabong and then went to Hot Tuna and you shaved your head and all of a sudden it was

Neal Purchase Jr: you remember you've seen all the All of it. Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: read all the Seth magazines, don't you?

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, I know. Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: You're Rocky. You won the Op Pro twice.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. Uh, classic. Yeah. You know, I, I actually bought a Buzz Clipper and I was a bit over the long hair. I, I started getting a sore neck from doing head flick.

Tyler Breuer: they were such a signature. You're like, when we, you knew when he was gonna go for the barrel 'cause he would flip his head and like [00:29:00] lean into the wave

Paul Colbert: flip and dip.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. I was a bit over it, so yeah. Got some buzz clippers and that was my haircut for a couple of years.

Tyler Breuer: was so surreal looking at that. I remember being like, oh, now he's, now he's not cool. Surfer dude. Now he's fucking hardcore and he's sponsored by hot tuna

Neal Purchase Jr: gone to the dark side.

Tyler Breuer: kind.

Neal Purchase Jr: No, I, I, there was a little bit of that, but yeah.

But it's, um, no, I never went that, that far deep. But, um,

Paul Colbert: I mean,

Tyler Breuer: no offense, uh, you're, you're, you're head shaped didn't, didn't work

Neal Purchase Jr: no, it didn't. Exactly. Right. Yeah. Oh, that's hilarious. Haircuts. It's, it's a real expression of your true inner

Tyler Breuer: That's right. guy.

Paul Colbert: yeah.

Tyler Breuer: But I, I guess then like there was. A time then [00:30:00] like when that started to dry up, right? Like the, the hot tuna went away and I was like, I was curious like what is, well first I just want to say Billabong missed opportunity. Pairing you with Margot, not pairing you with

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, that would've been great. Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: missed opportunity.

Yeah. Like I really felt like they really blew it there. Uh, by the way, regular foot. Goofy foot. Yeah. They should have done sons of funds. Should have been you guys. Not Shao and

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: You know?

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. Totally. You

Tyler Breuer: are way more fun than they are.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. I was, I was talking to Margo the other day going, oh yeah, we should do his sons of fun too. Just you and me.

Paul Colbert: should. You absolutely should.

Tyler Breuer: Absolutely. Hell yeah.

Paul Colbert: some air miles at you to make help make that happen.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: Ah, yeah, I would.

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah, I, I don't know. But yeah, it'd be cool. He is such a champion, good bloke, and Yeah. Living a good life.

Tyler Breuer: So, but what was that transition like then going from like. You know, semi, you know, being [00:31:00] a pro, pro surfer ish, I guess to, to kind of like trying to have to figure out like what you want to do. What was that transition like

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. Good slap in the face back in the real world. It's, uh, yeah, but I, you know, it's, uh, I actually took them to court 'cause they didn't pay me for hot Shannon for a while. I dunno if I should be saying this, but, um, yeah. So I got a payout for a year's salary and, um, well I was like, stuff it, I just need to get away from the surfing thing, photographers and, you know, all that sort of stuff.

So, um, packed. I had a family with two kids and Bo my wife was pregnant with our youngest, um, daughter Jetta. So, um, we bought a camper van and sort of went down the east coast and hung out in Tasmania for a few months. Wow. And then went over to South Australia. And, um, Bo gave birth to Jed's and the Adelaide Hills there.[00:32:00]

And, uh, I was, that's where I was sort of doing some Japanese landscaping and farm hand work. And, um, we were there for about, uh, probably nine months or so. And then we were basically about, oh, about an hour from a kind of shitty beach break. But then there's amazing waves on the reefs. I went out there once or twice, but it was sort of just, I got to this point where I was so far removed from the surfing world, which I based my whole life on and, um, probably surfing once every couple of weeks, you know, once every week if I was lucky.

And, um, just went, oh look, there's all these opportunities back up there, up the coast. So I moved back up the coast and, um, basically, um, started rhythm clothing when I got back up there and, um, yeah, got, got stuck into that for, for a while.

Paul Colbert: And that's been a good decision.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, that, that was good.

Tyler Breuer: That's been a decent

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [00:33:00] That was great. So yeah, started that and then it went from zero to hero really quick. There was a little bit of, you know, um, mismanagement and stuff in, in the early days. After about two years I got out and

Tyler Breuer: cashed out

Neal Purchase Jr: a little bit. Yeah. Could've, could've been better, but, uh, yeah. Yeah. And then, um, yeah, just focused on my shaping more.

So then after I got out of there, I was sort of doing a little bit of both. And then they got me back in the art room part-time, um,

Tyler Breuer: you back

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah, like, yeah, about a year, like two, two years later. So I was sort of doing the shaping and, and that part-time, and then that sort of went to the, the office hours went to the wayside and the shaping bay time started climbing.

And, uh,

Paul Colbert: obviously with your shaping, I'm assuming your dad was a big influence on you.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. In lots of

Paul Colbert: in a lot of ways. And, and just looking

Tyler Breuer: what not [00:34:00] to do too.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah.

Paul Colbert: don't,

Neal Purchase Jr: shape

Paul Colbert: don't shape

Tyler Breuer: well.

Paul Colbert: well, like looking,

Tyler Breuer: such a rebellious sun. He went

Neal Purchase Jr: looking

Paul Colbert: back on, on your dad's, shaping like the things that, I mean there, I'm sure there's many, many more, but the, the things that really stick out for me was his work with Keo.

Yeah. With the Virgin. Yep. And that. That model very much set the stage for what became the shore board revolution. I mean, it was like a, a almost like the keystone piece that then later influenced the rest of the future of surfing. Yeah. And then the, uh, the hot butter, uh, rabbit model

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah, yeah. Which

Paul Colbert: again was like the high performance just Excelsior Excalibur for the day, where it just really pushed high performance surfing.

Mm-hmm. So, um, can you talk about how the, like did those influence [00:35:00] your shaping, your surfing? Surfing and anything else that I missed? Like.

Neal Purchase Jr: Well, dad, he, yeah, he's, he's had a fantastic life. He worked really hard. He, he was, he shaped a lot of boards. He was kind of like the, the numbers guys guy for, you know, a lot of the brands, you know, for hot stuff because, um, Alan Burns would only probably do one board a day, max, you know, and, um,

Tyler Breuer: channels are hard,

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. And I, and I don't blame him. I, that's all I like to do too, so, um, yeah. But yeah, dad would come in and do five a day or something, you know, and just get the numbers up and yeah, he was, he was fast, but, um, had his own style and I watched him millions of times doing that. But yeah, he got his break. He was kind of like the floor sweeper and the fin maker at Kios.

And then, um, you know, him and Ted Spencer and Badie Trello were, were super tight. Um, Nat was kind of on his own [00:36:00] thing and um, yeah, uh, I guess, um, they were talking one night, Bob was talking and about, you know, cutting down, you know, the length and, and dad sort of mentioned that he stayed back that night and he wasn't really a shaper at the time.

He just wanted to have a go at, at, you know, he may have shaped one or two before and basically shaped that virgin

Tyler Breuer: Wow.

Neal Purchase Jr: you're kidding. Um,

Tyler Breuer: his virgin model. Yeah. The name,

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah, that's it. So, um, yeah, so, um.

Tyler Breuer: cherry with that

Neal Purchase Jr: boat. Yeah. It dropped a few pubes in the glass job and, and then, um, yeah, um, all the boys rode it, um, yeah, Nat and Ted and Badie, and they loved it.

So from then on, he got, he got the break, uh, and was shaping after that. It's,

Paul Colbert: Wow.

Tyler Breuer: does it, do you ever feel like he doesn't get enough credit for that?

Neal Purchase Jr: he doesn't, he doesn't, yeah, he's really shy away from, uh, you know, [00:37:00] just, just the whole kind of ego thing. He's, yeah, he's, he's really humble and, um, and I love that about him. You know, he is really just, I, I guess he had a pretty big push there in the early days with Surfing World and, um, had a, had a few spreads with all those guys, um, and a couple of write-ups and editorials and things, and then moved up to, um, the Gold Coast around 72.

And then he was doing brickies laboring work in between shaping as well just to make ends meet and pay the mortgage and all that sort of stuff. But, uh, yeah, him and Wayne Dean and, uh, there's a, there was a lot of Fluffy was up, Greg Cleff was up there at the time. And um, they had, um, spirit of the Sea with Dick Van Strand and all those crew, um, interesting times.

Beautiful, romantic, um,

Tyler Breuer: MP as well.

Neal Purchase Jr: MP doing his thing, you know. Um, but the thing, you know, there's guys like Dad and Wayne [00:38:00] Dean that didn't really want to. Push themselves or, or, or blow their own foghorn, you know, so they just did their shit and the people in the, in the industry knew what they were good at and they just did it.

So, um, that, you know, worked well for dad up until around 2004, 2005 when he broke, he broke his collarbone, which holds up your diaphragm and his lung collapsed. So he couldn't, he was still trying, he was getting in there and with a mask. He tried all sorts of masks and he wasn't getting enough

Paul Colbert: It's hard. Yeah. Hard to breathe anyways with

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah, so he was getting head spins all night and he was driving him nuts. So, um, he, he'd had to stop. So that's when I sort of kicked in another gear and pulled out a rhythm and in the, uh, you know, and sort of went, okay, we've worked on so many different designs and boards, which was so, so different at the time.

You know, I was still like, even in the early two thousands of walkout with a blank in the, [00:39:00] um, industrial estate. And there's other, other brands there, you know. And they go, oh, what are you, what are you riding that thing for? That's the, we did that in the seventies. That doesn't work. And, but, uh, they weren't seventies boards.

They were just, you know, a little bit wider and a little bit ergonomic, you know, a little bit, um, easy to paddle, tell you. And I'm, I'm a bigger

Paul Colbert: they work pretty well for me.

Neal Purchase Jr: Well, we're we're, you know, you,

Tyler Breuer: We're full figured men.

Neal Purchase Jr: Well, you build boards for yourself. Exactly. And then if other people want 'em, then that's good.

Paul Colbert: exactly right. So yeah, like, what are you building? Let's talk about the duo. And you're talking about like a, a twin plus, uh,

Neal Purchase Jr: trailer? Twin trailer. Trailer that,

Paul Colbert: you're riding a lot.

Like let's, let's talk about those and when your, your designs

Neal Purchase Jr: Well, I don't know. I've just been lucky enough to be on my own journey and just sort of work my way through boards, feeling different boards and feelings and just whatever.

Gets my buzz stoked. I'm, I'm sort of pumped on doing that model, you know, so, um, you know, and do [00:40:00] enough, um, Instagram posts to get a couple of hooks, but

Tyler Breuer: Well, well for, for, for your pitch to all the listeners, why should they get a duo? What, what is it about the duo that, um, you think sets it apart, and what sort of conditions do you feel it works

Neal Purchase Jr: Well, for one, it's a, it's a, it, it was, it just came about from surfing single fins and then twin fins. I hadn't sorted the twin fins out. I sorted the single fins out. They worked really well, like the old, um, performance hot stuffs and stuff. Yeah, you can get them working quite well. They are a slower, more, um, a slower design.

They sit down the bottom of the wave more. They don't sit high in the wave, but they've got, you know, and the beauty of them is it simplifies your surfing and then,

Tyler Breuer: Exactly.

Neal Purchase Jr: um, and, and it irons out your style too, right? So, um. And, you know, I had a couple of twin fins, which were working quite well, and then I just thought, oh, I'll just try [00:41:00] something in the, in between these.

I'm a, I like the median blur thing, you know, just in between all sorts of other stuff. Yeah. You know, so I'm sort of always looking into those gray

Paul Colbert: like, yeah, exactly. Where's the gray area? That's interesting.

Neal Purchase Jr: that been done? Yes, it has. Probably, you know, I've seen some early rainbow photos with some guys, um, doing stuff similar.

I think, um, even winds, surfers of, um, the, the wave jumpers and

Tyler Breuer: And the Miranda brothers had

Neal Purchase Jr: Miranda

Tyler Breuer: like close to it, you know, not, not exact, but like those really long, you know, twins, like, they weren't like normal keels or

Neal Purchase Jr: No. And they're set in off the rail. I mean, we know it's, it's all a part of the learning process for me. I do sort of go right back through the old catalog and then come back through again and, um, but for.

The duos. Yeah. I mean that's pulling fins closer to the rail makes 'em, um, a little bit twitch here. And, and the, the word [00:42:00] would be tracker. Yeah. And then when you pull 'em off the rail, they feel smoother and more pivot. Yeah. So they're the two blending, um, thresholds of that. So I went down that rabbit hole.

I got a, I got a wave on this jaw, so, okay. I'll just do, I'll shape aboard. Chuck the fins in. I didn't really, I thought about it. Okay. I'll just move them forward of a single fin a little bit, you know, just based in between where the twin fins and that go. And, uh, the fins were too big at the start, so I sanded them down.

And then I got a wave out at Cabaretta where that shark attack was recently, and it was like a six to six foot wave. And I just went flying down the line with like. No friction, but when I engaged on the turns, I had complete control with no cavitation. So it was a wider design. It was a six, oh, I think it was a, in a rhythm clip.

It was like an egg, uh, 21 inches wide, 6 0 2 and a half, and, uh, fairly wide tail, you know, around 15 threequarter tail and, and the same nose. [00:43:00] So, um, that first board just initiated feelings that I've never felt before. And, and it was practical in a sense for my surfing at the time and how I wanted to surf.

So, um, you could get tubed on 'em, you could do really good turns. They were more snaky and pivoting in the pocket. They were faster down the line at high speeds. So they'd worked fantastically in Hawaii. Like, um,

Tyler Breuer: Do, do you think they, they need some juice

Neal Purchase Jr: I, I think you, yeah, you can make them work in smaller waves, but I reckon there's better fin designs for smaller waves that, that generate speed.

And now it's sort of looking into all sorts of stuff where it's not just a single inside fall, but like a cupped concave inside fall, which futures, the futures guys are sort of doing a lot of work on that with and RAs surfing. Um, some of it's a little bit wild for me, but I, I like of the subtleties in, in that and I think for small waves, and he's even saying for bigger waves, [00:44:00] um, they feel fantastic and grip.

And at

Tyler Breuer: I would be curious to see what they would be like on a, on like a proper big wave gun, like a rhino chaser. I'd be interested to

Neal Purchase Jr: the, the, um, the, the duos or the inside, the duos. Yeah. Uh, like definitely they're a double foil fin and they're toed straight, so they got a smoothness about them. And they don't caviate, and they got it more depth in the fin. So it's funny because, uh, the guys that were riding them, it's like, you know, they really love that depth.

You can really roll 'em over and feel the depth on, on the fins, you know? Yeah. As opposed to just like your four and a quarter inch side fins on a thruster, and you sort of get back on on those and they just feel tinny and tweaky. Like, you know, it's like, I want the depth again. You know?

Tyler Breuer: I I was, I was listening to another podcast you were on and you started talking about how you, or reading, like you shape around the fin.

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah.

Tyler Breuer: Yeah. [00:45:00] And I was curious like, what does that entail? What do you mean by shaping around the fin for, for our listeners? And like how do you, how do you go about that?

Neal Purchase Jr: Well, the classic example is a single fin. You gotta design the board around the fin. You can't just, you know, you gotta have certain thresholds and wits in the tail. You gotta have a definite tucked under rail edge, um, to, so you're not on top of the water. So you can allow, and then you need to take the shoulder and the, the, the area of the foam out of the rail so it sinks into the wave and holds and gives you drive.

So that's, that's the, the first bake basics of it and everything else, like a thruster is the opposite. You want a square rail, you know, and get that refined and get it sitting on top of the water and get it all, you know, sort of releasing quickly and, and even a little bit of slide 'cause they're just so.

Predictable and sort of even out all those sort of, um, crazy [00:46:00] turbulence, um, turn, you know, turbulence in the turns and all that sort of stuff. So, and then the twin fins, you need a tuck dry with those to keep them in the water too. And that's, you know, what we've learn. Um, some of the, uh, I see a lot of twin fins from the seventies and Emma was just ripping on his, um,

Paul Colbert: so good.

Neal Purchase Jr: with his, but he had an, a tucked edge from nose to tail with a slight v I've ridden those and that not my forte, but that again, that's surfing.

You know, that's a, there's, there's people out there that just love that

Paul Colbert: Well, it's very much a self-expression activity, right? Yeah. It's like you find what works for you and you do it like, yeah. Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: And that's what the duo is. It's sitting there in, in its little spot for a very particular type of feeling, um, which is performance based.

But, you know, you, you could, I dunno, if you give it to someone to surf on, on the tour, and if even if you wanted to, or even if I'm interested in that, I'm not sure, but it's, uh, it, I know what it is and I like it, you know? Yeah. It, it feels great. So, [00:47:00] but yeah, the Twin Fins are definitely a, um, a unique thing, a unique design where we definitely know a lot more information about it.

And getting back to that seventies thing, there was a lot of boards from the seventies that are twin fins and all the single fin surfers going, oh, they're, they're, you know, for girls. And, you know, uh, you know, uh, and, uh. Without being. Yeah. Um, but they, those fins, you, you see a lot of them, they got a shit load of v they like an inch a v, and then the fins are towed halfway up the board.

So they, they, they, they didn't, you know, a lot of people had, had them sorted, like Mr had his sorted, but a lot of guys didn't. And there was a lot getting around that would basically throw buck you off if you tried to turn it, you know. So now we'd, you know, we've, uh, the great thing about board design, lots of shapers, everyone's doing their own thing.

There's such an open book in design and, um, the, the refined, I wasn't interested in thrusters. I got it [00:48:00] to a point with dad and sort of to the late nineties and early two thousands where I thought, yep, I can rip on these. I know what they are, I can know what they do. Um, let's explore all the other

Paul Colbert: do something

Neal Purchase Jr: else. Yeah.

Paul Colbert: Now, you, uh, managed to be one of the lucky few to arrive in town.

Neal Purchase Jr: yes. Um,

Paul Colbert: right before maybe the swell of the decade hit

Tyler Breuer: I wouldn't go

Paul Colbert: surf that far,

Tyler Breuer: I wouldn't go that far. I wouldn't

Paul Colbert: It was pretty good.

Tyler Breuer: the deck. It was good. It was good, but I think there were other better swells. I've, I've

Neal Purchase Jr: bad, bad. It's uh, it's been a while, but

Paul Colbert: you got pretty lucky and you got to surf. Um, what were you riding and, uh, for your next trip out here? Like would you, what, what would you bring?

Neal Purchase Jr: Oh, well that's a, the great thing of, um, being a traveling show, doing the shaping tour thing. I mean, firstly, Chris and the Pilgrim boys just rolled out the red carpet, got me a little spot near the shop, got the shape and bay [00:49:00] across the road. Perfect scenario. The beach is, you know, what, 40 minutes to rock away.

Paul Colbert: give or take. I give

Tyler Breuer: or take

Paul Colbert: Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: I can, I can deal with that this, this week, you know,

Paul Colbert: Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: and um, you know, um, got to surf those waves so they've feel like Australia. Yeah. Um, and then that swell came, we went up to. Can I say

Tyler Breuer: you can't say you went up up to road, you went up to road, you went up to

Neal Purchase Jr: I went up, I, I drove up a road. Yeah. Up north somewhere.

Tyler Breuer: on an island.

Paul Colbert: a, a piece of land surrounded by water.

Tyler Breuer: know what? Every, every, every motherfucker and their, their pet was up

Neal Purchase Jr: Okay. They, it, it seemed like that it was quite busy. Yeah. Especially a couple of the spots were crammed, but um, yeah, so to get back to your question, um, fantastic spot. Kind of reminds me of Zaki in Japan or something. There's lots of surf spots.

Cool vibe, nicest people. Yeah. Like love the, um, the, the history, the historic element, [00:50:00] all the architecture, just the beautiful streets, lots of trees, lots of, um, na natural elements. And, um, but I took a cluster, which is, um. Probab, it's like a Hubba Bubba chewing gum. Um, it's the most normal board. It's a, it's got lots of elements in it.

It's, uh, it's something that's, uh, just a, a mixed bag of all the things I've done, my whole kind of shaping career. Um, um, so it's, it's very, on the surface, it's very basic looking. Um, very quite non-offensive to the, and um, just got some really clean rocker elements and foiling elements and basic bottom.

Um, this one's built in flax, which is really, really durable. Real paddle's fantastic with the EPS, which I never

Paul Colbert: Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: in the two thousands. Uh, I love to [00:51:00] Stringless s um, rode them

Tyler Breuer: remember you, you, you were doing those for a

Neal Purchase Jr: they were bloody great,

Tyler Breuer: But they lose flex though pretty quickly.

Neal Purchase Jr: they, they, they get worn out just like we do

Paul Colbert: yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: a good time while you're doing it. But, uh, yeah. So the EPS with the flax, they, they retain their flax patterns. Um, we don't dunno if it's decades, but it's close to a decade.

Tyler Breuer: does it, um, does it get rid of that, that tinny feel that comes with EPS? Like it's smooth. Like dampens it.

Neal Purchase Jr: That's exactly what it does. Um, and I, you know, I've surfed a couple of, uh, a PS epoxies in the windy, windy days and you just can't go anywhere. You're just fluttering all

Tyler Breuer: Especially around

Paul Colbert: too on top of the water. Yeah. Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: So, yeah. Um, that definitely helps.

That construction is fantastic. So that works. That's on the cluster. Just a twin plus trailer set up. I put the fins at, um, 10 and a [00:52:00] half. Um, I put the boxes at 11 and a quarter, which takes the twin fin with the little back bit sitting out to 10 and a half. Yeah. And then I put the back fin. At four and three quarters, which is a long way up compared to most standard twin fin guys.

So it's not a twin fin placement with a back fin. It's that you'd move the front fins up

Tyler Breuer: Then you put the fin right behind it

Neal Purchase Jr: And then I've put, because I don't like the feeling of that fin on the tail. Yeah. I, um, I push that up. So you actually almost don't feel it. It just gives you the drive so it becomes like a one swoop mo movement with the front fins, you know?

Yeah. As opposed to something that's dragging. Wave. How

Tyler Breuer: in, how far in is the fin from the, the, the, the big twin.

Neal Purchase Jr: So the, so the twins are inch and a half off the rails. Yeah. Which is a little bit more than usual and they're towed. I actually use a, uh, a, like a fin stick [00:53:00] with a two inch fin stick and to tow them off the nose as opposed to just doing your standard measurements of, um, yeah.

You can, you know, the variables

Tyler Breuer: yeah.

Paul Colbert: Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: So it, that changes with the length of the board,

Paul Colbert: Yeah, yeah,

Neal Purchase Jr: So is a, you got a longer board. They're toad straighter, which reacts with the longer length of the rail sense. Yeah. Um, so yeah, you don't want the fi you know, you, you could have a. A five, six and tow 'em in a quarter or whatever, and then have a 10 foot board to 'em in Aquar a quarter and it's halfway up the board.

So that's where they went wrong with the twin fins, but um, yeah, the toe's really important. So, and, and the angle, like I like them fairly upright. Yeah. Um, so they're, you know, about three to four degrees. Yeah. And, um, no. And um, so yeah, that's that board and yeah, I really like that feeling. Just paddle really well.

Yeah. Bigger guy. I'm 95 kilos six one, so, um, that's a six three. I got a [00:54:00] six O at home. Um, two and five eights. 20 and 20 and three quarters

Tyler Breuer: entry rocker. Rocker. Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: A little bit more. It's low where you need it, you know, so it's really important to, um. I, I don't like noses that go straight in the, in the last foot.

'cause I reckon that doesn't fit into the curve. So you want the extremities to, to be

Tyler Breuer: Mm-hmm.

Neal Purchase Jr: Mm-hmm. Um, but it's, yeah, it's sort of like a, a four and a half inches of, uh, nose rocker. And then about two and a half in the tail. I've, I've flipped the tail as well behind the front fins.

Tyler Breuer: so,

Neal Purchase Jr: um, with the concave running through it.

So that gets that torque of, you know, that, that sort of, um, planning panel around the fins with curve, with a straight running through it.

Paul Colbert: I'm a big fan of that tail kick. It's like it helps turn so much. It fits on a steeper pocket like so. Well, it's just all around. Makes for a better experience, I think.

Neal Purchase Jr: Well you can have that low rocker, you [00:55:00] know, you 18 inches up and 18 inches back from the nose.

Yeah, well you

Paul Colbert: and you still get all the drive you

Neal Purchase Jr: get all the drive and the paddle, and then you can flip with, you know, you want to curve not to be like, you know, a, a wheel or a circle or something. You want it to be like a flexed fishing rod or something, you know. But yeah, definitely. Um, love that. And you can ride them more tail lift on bigger boards with less nose rocker and get back on the tail and throw the thing around, you know?

So essentially, um, even more than the, um, you know, I've seen a few modern surfboards and you know what the pros are riding and it's probably even more rock than what they've got in the tail. So, yeah,

Tyler Breuer: I mean those like jonjo boards are like that. Like they're very much like, like those noses aren't as flipped. Actually. It's all more in the tail, you know?

Neal Purchase Jr: in the tail. Yeah. Well, I was all, all about reduced, um, area, you know, just usable, usable area and, and that's why I went wider [00:56:00] in the nose and shorter at the start. Um, but then it's nice to see a bit of nose get thrown around, you know? So

Tyler Breuer: Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: Is

Tyler Breuer: Is that what you did on my board, Paul? Is that what you'd put Like a good tail rocker on my board

Paul Colbert: a good tail rocker. Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: a, the less, less. Right. That's why I was able to, to make it fit.

Paul Colbert: fit.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: Yeah.

Paul Colbert: Now what, what were you, what, uh, you're wrapping up at Pilgrim, right? Uh, what did you shape while you were here?

Neal Purchase Jr: Um, I, I copied a few of your models

Paul Colbert: oh yeah,

Neal Purchase Jr: straight from the local.

Tyler Breuer: glider. make his glider? Did you

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, yeah. Yep.

Tyler Breuer: Yep.

Neal Purchase Jr: Um, but no, I'd say just, just having, um, a great week up there and surfing. It's definitely, um, changed, uh, my thoughts on a, on a few of the things I, I had a pretty good idea of, of what to make the guys here, but, um, actually surfing them, um, there's, yeah, there's a few different, [00:57:00] um, scenarios, um, and, and models.

Yeah, definitely. Boards in the seven to eight foot mark, um, you know, by 20, around 21 with low rockers and, and, and the pauley, uh, tail

Paul Colbert: yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: And, um, yeah. So I've, what have I made? I've made a couple of duos, uh, a couple of duos with the duos with side bites and then a couple of twin and trailers. Yeah.

Paul Colbert: Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: Um, and then I've made a couple of sort of sting fish, um, sting fishes with the keel fins, a couple of little customs there for a couple of guys.

And, um, one widow maker, two plus one thing for a guy, guy down the coast. Um, so yeah, there's been a few. It's been, yeah, it's been really fun.

Tyler Breuer: Do, do you like, I mean, you've done this also at UWL as well, [00:58:00] right? Yeah. And like a few other, like, is it, are you finding that the surf world is opening up more to like these residency type of, uh, programs and surf shops around where, you know, 20 years ago that didn't happen as much? No. And, and probably happened more in your dad's time actually too.

Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. I, I, my dad and, uh, Alan Burns used to go to Japan each year, and that would, um, that would be in, in our winter, so that would really help him out, um, to get a few numbers over there. Um, the European, uh, shaping residency thing didn't happen till later.

So, yeah, I've been doing that probably most, I, I've had actually had a break since the whole COVID thing. I haven't been really going anywhere, but it was a bit of a tour going on, you know, between the states, um, Japan, uh, and Europe and the U-W-U-W-L thing, um, is fantastic. The, the Reno Cardinal [00:59:00] and the boys up, there's got a fantastic,

Tyler Breuer: looks sick.

Paul Colbert: it looks like an amazing setup. Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: It's so set up for everything. They're all craftsmen and you just go in there and, um, bang out a bunch of boards for, and, and for there, I think the Atlantic Ocean has, has more fresh water than salt, than the Pacific, so you can, you can get away with longer, bigger boards and more foam over there as well.

Yeah. Um, so yeah, I mean, you know, you've always got the, the smaller guys, you do the small performance stuff if that's where they want. But yeah, you can definitely go thicker.

Paul Colbert: well it seems like, and I could be wrong, but it seems like the small guys are fine buying it off the rack, where the, the custom market. I definitely get people who want more foam.

Tyler Breuer: The full figured guys. Yeah.

Paul Colbert: Not necessarily full figured, but just, just fans of foam. Yeah. And it's the people who, who understand that foam is your friend.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. Foam is your friend in the right [01:00:00] spot. And I see, I walk into some of those, um, sort of yeah. Bigger shops and, and feel the bigger guys boards and they're kind of just lumps Yeah. Yeah. With like rails that you could, um, you know, use

Paul Colbert: oh, it's like a big countertop,

Neal Purchase Jr: Big countertop thing.

So that's it. Yeah. That's where the, uh, the custom work comes in and working out. It definitely design elements that can help people that are a little bit bigger or, or whatever, you know?

Paul Colbert: Right. Or just one extra paddle power for a windy day,

Neal Purchase Jr: Exactly. Yeah. Or, or a model that's not on the, that's not commercially viable for them to

Paul Colbert: Right And tested by the top pro who you do not surf like.

Neal Purchase Jr: That's, you nailed it, mate. You know?

Tyler Breuer: Neil. I was curious then like what's your custom process like, are you. Like, I know some shapers treat it like they're therapists and some, some shapers are like, you know, like, nah, this is what you need. Like, and I'm curious like, how, how involved do you [01:01:00] get with your, your clients, uh, for boards, you know, like, and, and what that process is like, how do you evaluate, uh, a surfer and obviously we, you know, everything, we all say you have to take with a lot of grains of salt, but Yeah.

Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: It's always, um, I, I love chatting to customer. I talk to every customer that I do a custom board for. Um, some people it's via email most of the time. 95% of the time I, it's a phone call or a, or 10. And, uh, just depending on the customer, you know, and, um, a couple of, um, you know, changes of mind and color changes and, but yeah, definitely great to talk to the customer.

Sort of work out what they're writing.

Tyler Breuer: mm-hmm.

Neal Purchase Jr: Mm-hmm. Because the same board will feel completely different depending on what the guy's riding. He could be riding a long board surfer, he could be a short board surfer. So either, either side of that [01:02:00] spectrum's gonna feel completely different on the same board.

Yeah.

Paul Colbert: Yeah. But

Neal Purchase Jr: But yeah, you work out where they, what they want to do, what the type of surfer they are. And um, yeah, just to cut it short, it's, um, yeah, it's a nice process. And, um, I, I think, uh, I think they really enjoy it, you know, and I enjoy it as well. So it's, it's to get a, a very particular feeling under their, under their feet.

Tyler Breuer: Well, do you think, like, I feel like over the last 20 years, 25 years, like what we've asked of our surfboards have changed. Uh, I'm curious your thoughts on this. Like, I, I feel like, you know, when we grew up surfing, it was all about performance and about. Getting that magic board that'll allow you to do anything, go anywhere.

Now it feels like, and maybe this is because I'm old and I can't do that stuff, but it feels like we're chasing a feeling instead with boards. Like we're looking for a feeling as opposed to something that's gonna make [01:03:00] us a better surfer even. And I'm curious, like if you've seen that as well over the last 20, 25 years and what other changes you've seen since you've, you know, gone into the shaping business and how it's evolved.

Neal Purchase Jr: Oh, it's,

Tyler Breuer: a lot. Sorry, I threw a lot at you. Yeah,

Neal Purchase Jr: Well, for a start, um, we're in a different time, time zone in surfing now with, you know, it's, it's kind of like through the sixties, fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties. It was just, it was, we were told it was progression, but it was just. People wanting to get more radical in the pocket.

Yeah. Um, and that's fantastic. And, and it, that got refined to such a fine point, um, sort of by the two thousands really. And now, I don't know, it's a, I mean, maybe in other places, maybe even here in the seventies, people were writing all sorts of different boards. But yeah, there was that progressional [01:04:00] cycle.

Now we're taking bits and pieces that we've learned from all of those eras, and it's just like music and, uh, lots of other things. Everyone wants to surf a certain way and a lot of people don't like watching high pro surfing and, uh, others don't like watching longboarding. So, but I, yeah, for me it's all, it's all fantastic.

And it's like no judgment at all.

Paul Colbert: That's the thing. It's nice today that it seems like there's no wrong answer, whereas at a, at a certain point, I can remember growing up and. Starting to ride like vol on glass, single fin longboards. Yeah. And that was the wrong answer for a lot of people. But now it seems like there's far less judgment out in the water.

Yeah. And a, and a greater understanding of like, no, like you do, you, you know.

Neal Purchase Jr: Well that's, I mean, that's it. Hey, like it's your life. Bloody hell. It's uh,

Tyler Breuer: if you wanna, if you wanna suck at surfing, go right ahead.

Neal Purchase Jr: suck, man, you wanna, you wanna bog that, that single fin [01:05:00] volin board.

Paul Colbert: but,

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah, no, it's definitely, um, happy days these days. Um, a lot of that, um, narcissistic sort of, I dunno if that's a word for it, but it's, it is very aggressive and. Um, could have been, you know, it's, it's, it's kind of grown up a little bit, I guess. So, um, we got, we got so many more options now and, and it's cool to see people riding different stuff and in their little clubs, you know, if they don't feel comfortable getting outta that club, they can stay in their club, you know, so it's, um, yeah.

And that's fine and dandy, you know, and then, then you go to work and put food on the table and, um, you know, try and get a surf trip in or

Paul Colbert: yeah. So there's that, there's that work life balance again. Yeah. And as we're back on that topic, I wanted to ask you, because we talked a little the other day about, um, your kids, how they're older, grown up Yeah. Outta the house. Yep. Did their own thing. Now they're at a point where they're coming back Yep.

To hang.

Neal Purchase Jr: [01:06:00] yeah. First.

Paul Colbert: First of all, I think that means you've done something right.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, totally.

Paul Colbert: And

Tyler Breuer: parents might say that differently. Some parents would be like, nah, nah, this is our time.

Paul Colbert: Right.

Neal Purchase Jr: I know.

Paul Colbert: So, um, and, and I've often thought about, um, parenting, uh, if I were to put a metaphor to it, like you as a parent are. A safe harbor and as your kids grow, you send them out to sea.

Yeah. Where they fuck up, learn from their mistakes, have fun, experience, danger, but you're always there to accept them back uhhuh and as, as a safe harbor.

Tyler Breuer: oh, you're the lighthouse. You're the lighthouse.

Paul Colbert: Um, and it seems like that's what you did with your kids. Yeah. Yeah. And just from somebody who's like a decade or so ahead of me personally.

Yeah. What's like, what's the advice?

Tyler Breuer: make 'em feel old man,

Paul Colbert: how to be, you know, what's the advice on, uh, the balance and being an awesome dad and [01:07:00] you know,

Neal Purchase Jr: well, yeah, just laying those foundations early, I guess, you know, uh, we, you sort of, yeah, you just hope you try and lead through example, I guess to a point. But yeah, they, you, I don't like being, uh, too judgemental with anyone. So it's sort of like you, uh, good conversation, good, uh, communication.

And we've, we've just been tight and close and, and are similar people. Yeah,

Paul Colbert: Yeah,

Neal Purchase Jr: thankfully, you know, I guess you get the, the black sheet with, they're, they're all sort of on the same page. They, they all like doing similar stuff. They're like almost the same, you know, they got their own music, they got, you know, their lifestyle.

They've created their own, um, sort of work ethic.

Tyler Breuer: Do they surf?

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah, they, they all have a go. Um, Monty, the, my middle daughter loves, she's sort of connected with it a lot more. She rides sort of seven, eight footers and longboards and stuff. [01:08:00] And, um, Jetta, um, my youngest loves surfing as well, but she'll just do it occasionally.

And then Cedar, Cedar loves the water in the ocean and, um, just didn't connect with the board thing, you know. So I said to her the other day, I was like, oh, maybe it should get you a boogie board and, you know, you can't hurt yourself on him, you know, and it's like, you don't have to stand up either, you know, it's just.

Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: make her feel better. Just get a typo.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, well, A ppo. Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: You know, there's

Paul Colbert: are good, fun soul

Neal Purchase Jr: the so

Tyler Breuer: element to it, and it's like easy and, uh, natural. It's wood. It's on foam, you know? Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: But they, they all love the water in the ocean. And, um, and they all, yeah, they're, they're, they're great kids and real proud of them.

But, um, we've, we were just real honest with them. And there wasn't a probably like yourself, you can speak o openly. It's not like, oh, kids, you go and sit

Paul Colbert: ear muffs.

Neal Purchase Jr: they, you know, you know, yeah. This is, this is the adults table and

Tyler Breuer: whatever you want. [01:09:00] Cock balls, fuck shit, whatever you want, you know?

Neal Purchase Jr: But even if that's, it's just having those, uh, different ideas on the world and, you know, the reality of the world.

And it can be a fantastic place and also a scary place. And the hard place is, you know, it's just so many different things and it is what you make of it. And I think they just realize that the, the great thing that we've instilled is to, you gotta make your own. Had shit happen, you know?

Paul Colbert: Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: I'm, I'm curious like what. What you learned from, like with your, your relationship with your father or your, your parents even, and like how you applied, because I, I remember I was reading even like it was your dad kind of went a little soccer coach on you, soccer dad on you at some point, you know,

Neal Purchase Jr: a little bit. Yeah. I

Tyler Breuer: like what you picked up and what you've implemented and what you, you resisted

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. Yeah. I, so I was, that's the last thing I'd want to do is push 'em in. Dad, dad didn't push me. I was more into Star Wars and BMX

Tyler Breuer: Fuck yeah. Star Wars nerd right here.

Neal Purchase Jr: so, so, um, yeah, he [01:10:00] didn't push me.

I didn't really surf until I was probably, you know, very occasionally when I was nine, 10, and didn't get into it until I was like 12. Yeah. So, and, and that was through my own initiative. Um, but even then he was like. You are not getting a new board. You, you can get a pass down from one of the, one of the boys, you know, one of those team rider guys.

And the very first board he made from me, he painted it with house paint. he's like, I don't know if you're keen mate, like here's, here's a board just paint blue. But he painted with blue house paint.

Tyler Breuer: did it just to see how dedicated you are.

Neal Purchase Jr: That's rash the hell. I had no skin left on me. But that,

Tyler Breuer: It's actually made with lead paint too, by

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah,

Paul Colbert: You, you break your leash. It's impossible to find in the ocean. Just like blend right in.

Tyler Breuer: Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: all the

Tyler Breuer: the lead paint chips you're getting in your mouth, you know?

Neal Purchase Jr: Oh, that's it.

Paul Colbert: good old dad.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. But um, yeah, that's exactly right. So, no, he was, he was good. But there was a [01:11:00] time, you know, I was probably, you know, in my teens just a little shit too for a while.

So. He's probably trying to, you know, make, trying to see the, make the best opportunity for me, you know?

Tyler Breuer: What about your mom? What is your

Neal Purchase Jr: fantastic mom's great. Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: I always hear about your dad and I'm curious like, what, what's your mom? And, and give her some acknowledgement as a

Neal Purchase Jr: Well, mom's mom, mom was, um, she, she held the, the household and, and kept everything all in check and kind of the rock of everything as well.

So, and that's my wife Bose. Um, a similar as well, just really there for the kids. And, um,

Tyler Breuer: is she running your business as well? Like the board side? Like is she involved

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, well Mom was running, dad's doing all the books and everything from, for dad's, um, business. And then Bo's B's been doing that for me for the past.

I was doing it at the start. Um, she's been doing it for the past 10 years, and so I did it for 10 years or

Tyler Breuer: do, how does that, how do you make that work? Like [01:12:00] working with your partner, basically? Is that, is that can be contentious or does it work?

Neal Purchase Jr: contentious

Tyler Breuer: Am I getting you in trouble? Didn't mean to get you in trouble here.

Neal Purchase Jr: No, she's, she is, um, a real straight shooter and takes no shit, and I'm kind of like a bit of a pushover and give people discounts. And get in trouble for it.

Tyler Breuer: Why is that like dynamic? Like I feel like I've lived that, that dynamic as well and like I feel like a lot of my friends do too. You know Paul as well. You know

Neal Purchase Jr: But she's, yeah, we, we've learned to, you know, give and take on that and sort of go easy on each other. So, um, yeah, a little, little, you know, a little bit from both sides. I'll, I'll pull up a little bit harder and she can loosen the rain a touch, so, yeah. But, uh, yeah, so it's, yeah, but it's been great having her.

I, I can, um, I've been able to focus and do a lot more boards over the past, especially five years because, um, Bo's been running the books and doing, doing all that side, which does take

Paul Colbert: Takes a

Neal Purchase Jr: a bit of [01:13:00] time. And then the Australian government taxes, the, the mickey out of you after that. And where, you know,

Tyler Breuer: but at least you got healthcare.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, we do.

Tyler Breuer: At least you got healthcare. Yes. Yes.

Neal Purchase Jr: I could. I've seen, I've looked around it. You, if you Yeah,

Tyler Breuer: lucky you didn't get injured while surfing

Neal Purchase Jr: exactly right. The helicopter bill would be quite a bit, eh,

Paul Colbert: It's when you just do your own stitches.

Neal Purchase Jr: Exactly. You got a fish in line.

Paul Colbert: got some super glue. That'll work.

Tyler Breuer: glue.

Neal Purchase Jr: glue. Yeah, man, that's, that's wild. Eh? Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: Yeah, it's, it's not great. And it's getting worse

Neal Purchase Jr: We're feeling the pi, we're all feeling the pinch a little bit, you know, it's, uh, so what do you do? Just keep ducking and waving, mate?

Paul Colbert: Exactly. Keep on keeping on. Yeah. Keep having

Tyler Breuer: Keep surfing, keep surfing. You know, that's really, really all you can do these days

Neal Purchase Jr: a great,

Tyler Breuer: I feel like, you know? Yeah. [01:14:00] It's like I just need to go surf and that's it.

Paul Colbert: So I've got, I've got a question for you. And it was, uh, my daughter saw me scribbling questions on the terrain on the way over here. And, uh, she actually was like, I've got a question if you, uh, if you need another one. And I was like, well, let me hear it, you know, 'cause I had to make sure it was a good one and it was a good one.

And so, um, this is my question for you

Tyler Breuer: on the hot seat from a 13-year-old question.

Paul Colbert: for you, uh, as someone who has, uh, made a great impact on the surfing world and surf force all around the world, uh, what do you feel holds the most meaning to you as you look back on all of your contributions?

Neal Purchase Jr: Ah, wow. Just, that's a very deep question.

Tyler Breuer: Yeah,

Paul Colbert: Welcome to the jungle motherfucker.

Neal Purchase Jr: What, what means a lot to me? Like what, what's the, yeah. [01:15:00] So to me personally, um, I don't know. It's just like, and if you're influencing people, I don't like influencing people that much. But, um, um, yeah, I don't know. I've just sort of, uh, I haven't, haven't made myself totally aware of, you know, how I'm affecting people really to a point.

I try and

Paul Colbert: forget about the other, forget about the people that you've influenced, like you personally. What's the thing that does it for you that you've done? Like, what's the thing that you look at yourself and you're like, this is what I am most proud of.

Neal Purchase Jr: I think I

Tyler Breuer: And you can't cop out by saying your kids. Okay.

Neal Purchase Jr: No, but I, I think I chose my parents and. Um, on this planet to be born, to be a surfer and to be, you know, to have that life and to have that may. And, and if it's any influence on anyone else, it's just through pure stokes. So, [01:16:00] yeah. And, and just living in a, in a country where you've got freedom to make those choices and to, um, pursue your, your well, whether they're loves or passions or hobbies.

And, and I guess through that people can see the energy that you are pursuing and, and that you are emulating and, and giving out to people. And it's in that process, um, of doing those things that you love, that they can see some sort of. It's, um, it's a glimmer. A glimmer. There's a spirit. Yeah. It's coming from another dimension maybe, I dunno, but it's, yeah.

And, and that, and, and all, that's all you could hope to do on this planet, I guess is just to live and, and follow your dreams and passions and, and connect with good people. And, and, and, um, and, and that's the other thing. It's a, it's, I mean, surfing is a big worldwide family, you know? And you within that, that [01:17:00] culture, this culture that we're in, we've got our little inroads into our clubs and, and people that we connect with.

So, um, yeah, I don't know. It's, uh, yeah, it's, uh, I'm, I'm just pumped. I've had the freedom to be able to financially do a lot of things Yeah. And still have a house and, and a family and being able to support a family could, doing something you love and not being the. Pure asshole artist doing it, you know, for whatever, um, with, with no, um, sort of empathy for the people around you.

Right. Um, but yeah, I'd like to have a positive, I'm, I'm a half a glass full, so I like to emulate that and, and give that, pass that on, and hopefully people can, you know, if they, if they like that, if that's what I'm doing and they can see it and go, oh, that's, that's, that's good. Yeah. I don't know.

Paul Colbert: That's great.

Tyler Breuer: I gotta, I have to ask this question. So [01:18:00] I believe this was probably like back in the late nineties, maybe early two thousands, I think it was a SL that had you swim across the strati with the dead fish tied to you. Yeah.

Neal Purchase Jr: Oh

Paul Colbert: God.

Tyler Breuer: Can we, can we, can we, uh, can we explore that for a sec? What, what sort of dire straits were you in that you wanted to do that?

Neal Purchase Jr: Well, for a start, I'm not one to back down on something like that, that's, I must be competitive, but, uh, that was the very first, um, one of its kind. So that was the first task, and I didn't know what to, I was like, oh, you know what? I paddled across there so many times.

You know what I, and I, I, and sometimes the best things I do is like, I, I'm like, okay, don't, don't think, don't think about it. Don't think of the consequences. Just do

Tyler Breuer: Can you, can you just describe for our listeners, like what this swim paddle, this, this area that you swam is like,

Neal Purchase Jr: Um, well, you can ask the, [01:19:00] the, um, the, the guys that, that, um, sit on top in the, the Coast Guard guys. Uh, they see quite a few big shapes swimming through the rivers. Um, but yeah, it's at the entrance. That's where all the ball shark sharks hang. There's, um, all sorts of, um. Trawlers and fishing boats going through their, dumping, the, the all sorts of carcasses off.

And I'm like, I, I, I was aware enough not to, if one of those came through, I was like, sling the other way. But it was just a couple of tinies, you know, a couple of 10, 12 foot tinies and people, no one was catching any fish. So like Okay.

Paul Colbert: like

Tyler Breuer: of the day, I

Neal Purchase Jr: the middle of the day. It wasn't in the afternoon. I wouldn't have done it then, but I was like, oh, what do I do?

You know? So I didn't back down. I just went, jumped in, didn't think about it. And then they followed, they followed me in a tinny actually, and I sort of got three quarters of, of the way there. And then they said, oh, they were starting to [01:20:00] get the guilt trips and went Oh. And I think just Justin Game was there.

Yeah. And he was like, dude, he's got a family. He's got kids. He is. So it is like, yeah, it's good. Good on him at, you know, at a stingray jumped out in front of

Tyler Breuer: Oh shit. That would scare the shit out of you, man. That is

Neal Purchase Jr: but um,

Paul Colbert: and what was the stingray running from? I wonder?

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah, yeah, but it, the old mullet was, wasn't far off my feet, so, um, I wouldn't do it now, but yeah, there's, sometimes I've done things like that where I just go into that mode and don't think about it and don't, yeah.

I don't know. It's worked out for my benefit. I, you know,

Tyler Breuer: yeah, you got like a hundred bucks out of it. Right? You got like a hundred bucks out

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. One that's, yeah. That, that paid for not much.

Paul Colbert: Oh,

Tyler Breuer: Oh, a round of beers and a dinner. Maybe a meat, meat pie. Maybe a meat pie.

Neal Purchase Jr: couple of rounds at the bakery.

Tyler Breuer: So Mrs. Max for you,

Neal Purchase Jr: you? [01:21:00] Yeah.

Couple of custom tarts.

Tyler Breuer: Um, so Neil, I'm gonna finish up this interview. I have, um, some questions. Uh, I used to do this on my old pod, you know, back in the day, and I wanted to bring it back, so I'm bringing this back.

It's basically like, you wouldn't know this, but Paul, you saw the actors studio. Yeah. So they would do these questionnaires at the end. So I've got a couple fun questions for you to answer. All right. Alright. What is your favorite surf term or expression?

Neal Purchase Jr: Uh, probably sick.

Tyler Breuer: What is your least favorite surf expression or term?

Neal Purchase Jr: Oh, I don't have one. They're all good.

Tyler Breuer: It's flat.

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: Um, if heaven exists, what sort of wave would you want ride for eternity.

Neal Purchase Jr: It'd be a left. Um, it's kind of a wedge, probably the kind I [01:22:00] drew in my, um, in my maths book at school. Yeah.

Paul Colbert: we all know the one. We all know that

Tyler Breuer: left hand point Greg with a big jetty in the front, so it bounces off forwards a wedge, but then it still peels

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. With a backdoor wedge section. Yes. Yeah, yeah.

Sheet sheet glass. Yeah.

Tyler Breuer: And finally, if you could go back in time and surf any surfboard from your history, what board would it be?

Neal Purchase Jr: God, I was just thinking about that. I was going over all the boards Dad made me and, um, I, I actually go through my boards and sell them. One, you know, after a while, just I, I kind of just move them on. I've kept a couple of special ones, but not really. I've probably only two or three over the 30 years of surf, 40 years of surfing.

And, uh, God, I, wow. I don't know. It'd probably be one of dad's, um, probably like a, a six six thruster that he made, that I surfed at [01:23:00] I Luca. Um, probably in the early nineties. It'd be interesting to see that one again.

Tyler Breuer: I love

Neal Purchase Jr: Six? Six, yeah. Something like that. But I wouldn't be, you know, I wouldn't be surfing it all the time.

It'd just be for special occasions.

Tyler Breuer: Well, I'm just, this is a hypothetical, you know, would you ever reshape it? Would you ever try to re recreate boards like that?

Neal Purchase Jr: I've got, I've got one of dad's that was my, it was the cream dela cream of the boards. It was the best board. I've surfed, I surfed it in Japan. Um, there's a little bit of footage. It's a, it's a, um, stringless pu 6, 6 0 6 oh by 19 and a quarter by two and three aides, a little swallow tail, egg nose.

And that was better than any of the boards I'd ridden years prior to that. And I had a couple of my favorite boards that I'd take with me. And every time I rode that board, it felt fantastic. Yeah. Always better, always [01:24:00] faster. Really maneuverable.

Tyler Breuer: I gotta go back into my library and see if I can pull up the photo. That is a view on that board, I

Neal Purchase Jr: yeah, yeah,

Tyler Breuer: like a, I think it's either an A SL or waves that has you like doing a backside float or on a strangler sport and talking about,

Neal Purchase Jr: Okay. Yeah, that's a little swallow tail thruster. But Deb was throwing the fins forward on those too. Clustering 'em up. Interesting. So the back fins were at three and three quarters, and then the, the, the front fins were back at, at 10 and three

Paul Colbert: Wow.

Neal Purchase Jr: So it's almost like a single fin with, you know, it's, it's, yeah.

Real, really cool stuff. Um, so yeah, I've got that board and I'm, I'm, I'm putting my models out. It's the, it's the 2026 model coming out January 5th, 2026 in the surf shop near you.

Tyler Breuer: listeners. Well, well, Neil,

Paul Colbert: an eye out at

Tyler Breuer: Now's, now's your time.

Neal Purchase Jr: No, I'm kidding.

Tyler Breuer: kidding. Now's the time. Neil, to plug. Where can our listeners find you? [01:25:00] Where can they get your boards? Uh, time to, to sell shamelessly. Promote

Neal Purchase Jr: No, that's, that's, that's that. It doesn't matter. That's

Tyler Breuer: no, no.

Neal Purchase Jr: Come on.

Tyler Breuer: No. Really. Where can our listeners find you if they're gonna wanna buy a board from

Neal Purchase Jr: that pilgrim here in, in, uh, Brooklyn. So, uh, yeah, that's, that's it. A couple in Australia.

Tyler Breuer: Your your, your Instagram handle where they can

Neal Purchase Jr: That's, that's, that's the, that's the, um, app on.

I'm actually active on. I'm not really on Facebook. You're not at all, not TikTok, you're not a tech techer tech. No. No. So, so I haven't got a watch. so, uh, yeah. Um, yeah, just Instagram. I used to do a blog, like I did a blog for a couple of years and then ditch that. It's still up out there somewhere in the,

Tyler Breuer: you just let us know when you wanna start your podcast.

Neal Purchase Jr: Okay, no worries. Oh, I did a YouTube channel. I've only, I've, I'm gonna put all my models on there with an explanation, so I've got two up there at the moment, the rocket [01:26:00] fish and the cluster. But, uh, yeah, I've, I've got a ways to go through the, the, um, plethora of other models that I have.

Tyler Breuer: Sick. There's

Neal Purchase Jr: lots of them.

Tyler Breuer: There's lots of them. Well, listeners, go look for Neil Purchase Jr on Instagram. Go check him out. Go check out his website, check out his boards, and if you're in New York, Pilgrim has a healthy selection of them and uh, they're pretty fucking sick. And, uh, I've got a, I've, oh yeah, sick mate.

And,

Neal Purchase Jr: sick.

Tyler Breuer: and, uh, a whole bunch of, I've had a few friends have them and they just raved about the

Paul Colbert: never, never a bad word about

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. Right.

Tyler Breuer: go check em out. And, um, just wanted to thank Paul here

Neal Purchase Jr: Yeah. Cheers. Paul

Paul Colbert: me, Neil.

Tyler Breuer: and his daughter Finn and his daughter Finn, for helping out the questions and videoing and, uh, gotta give a shout out to Joe here, our engineer.

Thank you Joe. And of course, Rockefeller Center for hosting us at the Newsstand Studio. [01:27:00] And of course, I'm Tyler Brewer as well. Seasoned surf radio. Don't forget to like, subscribe and, uh, you know, follow us on social media and, uh, we'll check you all down the line soon. You.